On Thursday 5 June 2025, the University of Sheffield hosted its inaugural Bright Minds Live event at Impact Hub Euston in London. The evening brought together members of the public, alumni, and research enthusiasts to hear directly from some of the University’s most inspiring early career researchers.
The event featured a thought-provoking panel discussion chaired by Professor Tony Ryan, Co-Director of the Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures. The panel explored the motivations, challenges, and impact of cutting-edge research taking place across the University.
Dr Sarah Moth-Lund Christensen, Fellow in AI and In/equality and a member of the Centre for Machine Intelligence (CMI), contributed her significant expertise to the panel on the ethical and social dimensions of artificial intelligence. She shared insights into the risks and potential harms AI poses to humans, and how the humanities can help address these complex challenges. Her own research focuses on responsibility attribution and tracing in scenarios featuring AI-driven harms, with a broader interest in ethical decision-making and ensuring the responsible development and deployment of AI technologies.
Joining her on the panel were Grace Faulkner, a PhD student researching cardiovascular disease, and Dr Harry Wright, a Research Fellow developing sustainable growing media from waste materials. Each shared their unique research journey and aspirations in short, accessible talks that brought complex topics to life.
Bright Minds Live is part of a wider series designed to showcase the work of Sheffield’s next generation of researchers. Audiences can look forward to a programme of TED-style online talks throughout the year, featuring PhD students from across the University.